Border Force sent in its specialist deep rummage team early this morning to look through the cargo of coal and they soon recovered bags of the drug weighing almost 45 kilos. Spokesman Sam Bullimore says it was a fantastic piece of work to recover the haul.

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Part of the £5 million haul found by Border Force Credit: Border Force

Cocaine bound for the UK Credit: Border Force

Border Force officers at Immingham Dock have intercepted an estimated £5 million worth of cocaine that was bound for the UK. The drugs, which weighed around 45 kilos, were seized from a cargo ship that docked at the port.

The vessel, which was carrying a consignment of coal, had travelled to the UK from Puerto Prodeco, Columbia, via Holland. Examination revealed the cocaine inside the packages was around 90% pure resulting in a high value of around £5 million. The drugs will now be destroyed.

Sam Bullimore, from Border Force, said:

"This is a major seizure of a class A drug, and will put a big dent in the profits of the criminal gang behind this smuggling attempt. Cocaine is an evil drug, which ruins the lives of users and of the wider community.

"We work closely with partner law enforcement agencies both in the UK and overseas in the fight against drug smuggling. Our officers work round the clock, using the latest technology, sniffer dogs and their own expertise to stay one step ahead of those involved in the illegal drugs trade.”

The interception is the latest in a series to take place at Immingham in recent months. In June cocaine with a street value of £1m was seized from a ship that had also travelled from Columbia, and last month four illegal Albanian stowaways were stopped at the port and denied entry to the UK.